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Starting your own dating website isn't just a good way to meet new singles, it could become a lucrative business, even if you don't charge your clients a dime. Don't expect to quit your day job right away though. Building a successful dating site takes time.

The first thing you will need to do is to decide on a niche to start with. This could be in your own city or region, or it could be a dating site for people with specific needs or interests. In your business plan, draw up a profile of who your ideal first clients will be. Other decisions, like your domain name and marketing will have to be geared towards these clients in your niche.

Selecting a Platform

When it comes to platforms, the first question to ask is whether your site will be available exclusively on a web browser, or if you will have a mobile app. If your niche is for people 50 and over, an app may be optional, at least in the beginning. But if you're going to cater to anyone younger, a mobile app will probably be more important than your website.

Creating a website from scratch can be an option if you know how to code, or don't mind paying someone to do it for you. But you'll need to know more than HTML and CSS. Your clients will expect – and deserve – to have their personal data stored securely, so you'll likely need skills in Javascript, PhP and SQL, or comparable web languages.

Of course, there are companies with dating-friendly templates you can buy from too. They will also help you customize it to your liking for a fee. Platforms like Wix or WordPress are also an option. There are even WordPress themes and plugins devoted specifically to dating sites.

Selecting a Domain Name and Web Host

For any online business, your domain name will be your most important asset. Choose something short, but memorable. If you're going after a particular niche, you can incorporate that into your name. Just keep in mind that if you plan to go to other niches you'll have to get additional domain names. It's unlikely millennials in New York will be interested in a dating website called UtahSeniorMatches.com.

In the early months, you can probably use a cheap web hosting service for $10 to $20 per month. These services put your website on the same web server as others and you all share the resources – including bandwidth, memory and processing power. As your site catches on and it gets more traffic, a cheap service is going to get very slow very fast. You'll then have to upgrade to a dedicated server, which will cost you much more.

A scalable hosting service is another option, like that offered by Amazon Web Services. These services also cost about $10 per month if you don't have a lot of traffic, but if your site starts getting popular, the service scales you up and charges you accordingly. If traffic slows down the following month, your service cost is scaled down again.

Marketing Your Website

Nobody will come to your new website if they don't know it's waiting for them. Buying ads from Google and Facebook is one way to start, as you only have to pay for the clicks you get. You can also advertise in the personals sections of newspapers, or magazines and websites that cater to your niche. If you're going after local singles, consider making fliers and putting them in the places where they are most likely to hang out.

Monetizing Your Dating Site

Because a popular website is going to cost money to operate each month, if you want to keep your service free, you will have to find other ways to monetize it as it begins to grow.

One solution is to run ads with a service like Google Adsense, or by offering ads through an affiliate arrangement for companies interested in your niche, making commissions for each sale.

If you have another business that offers products or services for singles, or those who are in a new relationship, selling these to your clients is another option – and probably the reason you're thinking of a dating site.

Another idea for making money is to sell your customer's data, but you should talk to a lawyer to help you draft your site's membership agreement before going that route.

Finally, you might want to consider a freemium model. Basic memberships are free, but if clients want to send unique emoticons, or share personal pictures with people in chat, they would have to pay a monthly fee with a premium account. Depending on your niche, you could even charge clients to mail gifts to people – they pay you to send the gifts on their behalf.

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About the Author

A published author and professional speaker, David Weedmark has advised businesses on technology, media and marketing for more than 20 years. He has taught computer science at Algonquin College, has started three successful businesses, and has written hundreds of articles for newspapers and magazines and online publications including About.com, Re/Max and American Express.